put someone out of their misery

Related to word: misery

Idiom

Definition

  1. To alleviate someone's worry or anxiety, typically by providing them with information they have been waiting for.

    • Realizing it was causing confusion, she decided to tell him the truth directly to put him out of his misery.

    • They released the final list of candidates to put all the applicants out of their misery.

    • After the long wait, the doctor finally told the patient the diagnosis, putting him out of his misery.